GN keeps adding positions but vacancies not getting filled, Main says

The GN has ballooned to 4,888 positions in 2019-2020, up 430 jobs over the past five years, yet the vacancy rate remains around 30 per cent, says Arviat North-Whale Cove MLA John Main.

Government departments need to be mindful of controlling growth at a time when they can’t fill existing positions, says John Main, chair of the standing committee on oversight of government operations and public accounts. photo courtesy of the Government of Nunavut

One-third of the government’s total operations and maintenance spending is allocated to compensation and benefits for its workforce, which amounts to over $500 million in 2019-2020, noted Main, in his role as chair of the standing committee on oversight of
government operations and public accounts on Friday.

“It is important for the Financial Management Board to be mindful of the need to control the growth in the number of government positions being added to organizational charts at a time when departments, Crown agencies, and territorial corporations continue to face significant challenges in filling their existing vacancies, and roughly one-quarter to one-third of the government’s existing positions remain vacant,” Main said.

He added that the GN recently revealed that overtime costs for staff added up to more than $28.1 million in 2016-17.

“It is not unreasonable to conclude that the high vacancy rate for the government’s existing positions has contributed to this spending,” said Main.